First Child, A Cat And Advice From A Grandmother

Summary

A couple adopts a cat named Walter shortly before the arrival of their first child, despite the grandmother's concerns about the cat's potential harm to the baby, leading to humorous and heartwarming adjustments in the family home.

Abstract

In anticipation of their first child, the author and their wife adopt a cat, Walter, 8 weeks before their daughter's due date, causing worry for the author's mother. She fears for her granddaughter's safety, suggesting they delay Walter's adoption until the child is much older. The grandmother envisions various scenarios where the cat could harm the baby, yet the couple proceeds with the adoption, initially relegating Walter to the garage. However, Walter's distress leads to him being granted access to the house, and over time, he becomes an integral part of the family, proving to be an excellent companion for their daughter as she grows up. This experience prompts the author to reflect on the benefits of having a cat from birth to old age.

Opinions

The grandmother believes the safety of her granddaughter is paramount and initially views the cat as a threat.
The author's mother is skeptical about the cat living in the same space as the newborn, predicting various harmful interactions.
Despite the grandmother's warnings, the couple values the presence of a cat in their family, trusting in cats' typically gentle nature around babies and children.
The author humorously questions the logic of prioritizing a cat's comfort over their cars' designated space.
Walter the cat is portrayed as having a challenging adjustment period but eventually becomes a cherished family member, demonstrating a natural affinity for children.
The author suggests the idea of gifting every human a cat at birth and at 65, emphasizing the cat's role in teaching responsibility and providing companionship and emotional support.

First Child, A Cat And Advice From A Grandmother

My wife and I were expecting our first child in 8 weeks when we adopted our cat, Walter. The adoption was much to the chagrin of my mother.

Photo by kate indra on Unsplash

My mother was an incredibly strong woman who loved cats but in view of nature’s chain, the safety of her first granddaughter as more important than the care and feeding of a mere cat.

She suggested that we hold off the adoption of Walter until our daughter was in college or at least old enough to drive.

The cat, always “The cat,” never Walter, will smell the milk on Jesse’s (the name of our soon to be arriving daughter) breath, lie on her mouth and smother her. The cat will scratch her eye. The cat will see movement under her blanket and attack her toe.

All of these warnings came as supposedly wise passive advice and certainly not imposing or interfering with anyone’s family structure.

I exclaimed “Mother, what would you have us do — kill Walter?”

She said “That — or maybe fix a place for him in the garage.” Her dire warnings had me thinking worriedly, although, in my experience, with cats I had always found them extremely good with babies and small children.

We settled on a place for Walter in the unheated garage which was attached to the house. Mother returned to her home in Vermont less anxious but still wary, even with the commitment of a garage home for Walter.

I started working on Walter’s accommodations as soon as mother left. Somehow, it worked out that our 2 car garage could not house a freezer, sports equipment, my meager set of tools, stored Christmas decorations and Walter — plus 2 cars. The cars had to go. I asked myself “ How is it that $38,000 worth of cars has to be moved from the designated place on the planet where they belong in favor of approximately $600 worth of household goods and a cat?”

Turns out Walter cried all night and the next day I had to cut a hole in the wall so he could enter the house from the garage home to which he must have been having a problem adjusting. Incidentally, while cutting the hole in the wall, I discovered a couple of fossilized dead mice. Well, at least we won’t have to worry about mice any more with Walter patrolling the premises.

Walter’s presence became more and more problematic. He was revealing his irascible nature with increasing frequency. That first month was touch and go.

The arrival of our daughter Jesse was truly a joyous occasion enjoyed by grandparents and all members of the extended family. Ironically and mercifully Walter remained very low profile. So absorbed with her new granddaughter, mother didn’t appear to give Walter a thought.

In about a week, when everyone had returned home from the hospital and relatives back where they came from, Walter seemed to allow himself to become more evident around the house.

He was blessed with a cat’s sense of child care. A wonderful companion for Jesse from the moment she came home as an infant until she was in high school with the usual teenage diversions.

Do you think it would be possible for every human to be gifted a cat at birth to learn the responsibility of love?

Would it then be possible for every human to be gifted a cat at 65 for emotional social security?